Foreign media representatives visit the Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum on July 15 in Jingdezhen, East China's Jiangxi Province. Photo: Courtesy of the 2025 Belt and Road Journalists Forum

 
As night falls in the Taoxichuan Cultural and Creative Block in Jingdezhen, East China's Jiangxi Province, stalls lining both sides of the street open for business. Crowds of tourists fill the area, transforming what was once an old ceramics factory into a bustling hub of activity. Here, "Jingpiaos" or people from other places who have come to settle in Jingdezhen - enthusiastically promote ceramic artworks born from their own hands and imagination.

Among the crowd, Marek Traczyk from Poland is drawn to a set of ceramic necklaces and earrings inspired by the shape of leaves. The artist behind these pieces is Vickie, a 24-year-old who moved from Central China's Hunan Province to Jingdezhen a year ago to launch her own ceramics brand. "Amazing," Traczyk said.

"The first time I came to China was in 2002, and I have visited around 20 times since. Right here I've come to realize that there are distinct parts of China," Traczyk told the Global Times. 

Ceramic ambassadors

Traczyk, who is president of the Polish Media Association now, is one of the media organization leaders and representatives from over 50 countries and regions participating in the 2025 Belt and Road Journalists Forum. From July 14 to 20, the delegation visited Jiangxi cities including Nanchang and Jingdezhen, gaining a close-up view of Chinese modernization through the unique customs and culture of the region.

Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Jingdezhen porcelain has been exported in large quantities to Central Asia, West Asia, and continental Europe via the ancient Silk Road. This kind of cultural connection is not just a thing of the past. Today, Jingdezhen continues to attract yang Jingpiaos - foreign residents who, through opening studios and hosting exhibitions, are writing a new chapter in the story of dialogue between Chinese ceramics and the world.

Court Broussard, a 29-year-old artist from Texas, the US, is studying ceramic art history in Jingdezhen and has participated in organizing exhibitions. She describes the ceramic creation experience in Jingdezhen as different people coming together to contribute unique parts to the same thing.

"This trip feels like 'same-same but different.' We can find so many things that are similar, but it's the differences that make us who we are and make it great to share those differences," Broussard noted.

Getting to know real China

On their first evening in Jiangxi, nearly 100 overseas media representatives took a nostalgic tram ride through the streets of Nanchang. Onboard, Eliza Kukutu from the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation gazed out the window. Beneath a brightly lit giant Ferris wheel in downtown Nanchang, local residents were sitting on the grass, enjoying the summer night. Eliza captured the scene with her phone.

"I can feel the similar link. People in my country live like this too," she said. This is her first time visiting China.

For overseas media representatives who traveled thousands of kilometers to Jiangxi, the everyday lives of ordinary Chinese people and the country's social well-being often spark their curiosity.

French photographer Yann Vernerie rarely put down his camera throughout the trip. He enjoyed capturing the nighttime cityscapes, modern architecture, and green farmland of Jiangxi.

In Hanxi village, Jingdezhen, Vernerie excitedly documented the villagers' faces and their serene rural life, sharing the images on his portfolio website. In the caption of one photo, he wrote: "This 75-year-old man stood proudly at his doorstep, showing us the tea leaves he harvested this year. We had barely any time to talk, but his eyes told us of the harvest to come. This man knows the value of work - and the value of seasons."

Many of the foreign media delegates had never heard of Jingdezhen ever before. Along the way, they acclaimed the Chinese city as "modern," "green," and "harmonious." From the children who eagerly spoke English with them, to the locals who warmly posed for photos, they felt China's openness and vibrancy firsthand.

The Belt and Road China-EU Journalists Roundtable is held on July 18 in Ganzhou, Jiangxi. Photo: Courtesy of the 2025 Belt and Road Journalists Forum

Civilizational dialogue

Following the conclusion of their field trip in Jiangxi, Chinese and foreign journalists on July 18 participated in group discussions and thematic seminars, focusing on the responsibilities and mission of the media amid current global challenges. 

At the Belt and Road China-EU Journalists Roundtable, media representatives from nine EU countries engaged in lively discussions, drawing on their professional experience and firsthand impressions of Jiangxi to explore cooperation and shared understanding between Chinese and European media.

Several EU media delegates noted a shared viewpoint: amid challenges such as ideological bias and the resurgence of unilateralism in the world, one of the key roles of the media is to present authentic stories of the Chinese and European peoples and to tell compelling, shared narratives of China and Europe.

Mustafa Kuleli, Editor-in-Chief of the Mediternews, emphasized the importance of story-telling beyond politics: "I think we must share more local stories - not just political issues, but also everyday life - so that people in Europe can see the human touch of China, and people in China can understand the daily thoughts of many Europeans."

Hrvoje Simicevic, journalist at Croatia's Novosti Weekly, highlighted the transformative power of empathetic reporting: "We can drive meaningful change by reporting with humanity and empathy. It allows us to spotlight shared challenges - such as climate change, economic inequality, and technological disruption - and to show how both China and Europe are responding to them."

Speaking on future pathways for China-Europe media cooperation, Moritz Lohmann, founder of Germany Welcome You, stressed the need for connection and learning to overcome stereotypes: "To tackle stereotypes, we need opportunities to come together and learn."

He proposed launching a regular online workshop where journalists from the Belt and Road partner countries can share what's working in their regions and learn from each other's experiences.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Liu Siyang, Executive Vice President of the Presidium of the Belt and Road Journalists Network (BRJN) and Executive Vice President of the All-China Journalists Association (ACJA), noted that in today's changing media landscape, journalists must both "adapt through change" - by keeping pace with new media technologies - and "respond to change with consistency" - by remaining steadfast as seekers of truth, chroniclers of the times, and promoters of social progress.

The final stop of the 2025 Belt and Road Journalists Forum brought together media representatives from various countries to Ganzhou, Jiangxi, after they had taken different field trip routes. Ganzhou is the place where three tributaries of the Yangtze River converge, where also marked days of civilizational dialogue will keep on inspiring all forum participants long after the journey ends.